Mew Mew 1
by BrittNicoleFFWriter
Summary: "Shirogane... Shirogane? SHIROGANE HELLO ARE YOU THERE!" Came a loud screech on the other end of the phone, startling Ryou out of his stupor. He cleared his throat loudly, both slightly embarrassed and extremely bewildered that his thoughts had gone down that sort of road. "Just get here as soon as possible, baka." And he hung up.


Ichigo sighed, plopping down on her pink ruffle bedspread. She let her band new Candy Sugar bag sail to the floor as she kicked up her feet and lay against a mass of propped pillows. Work at the café had been strenuous, to say in the least. In addition to having to put up with petulant customers, she had fought tooth and nail with her boss, Ryou Shirogane. As managers go, he was a complete devil! He was always criticizing her or scolding her, even though all he ever did was hole himself up in his bedroom! It wasn't fair, not at all. But… looking sidelong at her pretty navy bag with the gray stripes and sparkly bow emblem- Ichigo had to admit the perks of working at the café. Although she had to put up with the infuriating blonde, she had a considerable amount of pocket money these days. For bags, and shoes, and clothes! Black and pink cat ears shot right up from her head as she thought about all the shopping she and Mint had done only just the day before. Though her best friend had scoffed at most of her choices, they had still enjoyed themselves.

Ichigo had absently closed her eyes and fell blissfully asleep. What felt like moments later, though in actuality several hours, Ichigo woke to the cheery pip-pip of her phone's ringtone as it blared from deep inside her school bag. She reached for it, yawning and stretching her arms high in the air, and her soft pink lips pursed into a sour expression as she read who the caller was. She flipped open the phone and barely managed a "moshi moshi," before the caller began yelling at her. "BAKA! Where are you?!" Ichigo rubbed her eyes and frowned, not picking up on what he meant. "At home?" She was still puzzled a moment before it dawned on her what day it was. "Crap!" Ichigo got quick up and out of bed, managing to trip over a tangled sheet and plummet to the floor. "Aiiiee!"

Ryou smirked to himself, his anger slowly ebbing away, replaced with amusement over the stupid girl. She really was stupid. She could take the easiest task and make it as complicated as rocket science. But… wasn't that her charm? He mused; just a silly strawberry… "She's probably forgotten I'm even listening," he thought, as he heard various clattering sounds and the rustling of fabric, as, presumably, she changed from her school uniform into plain clothes. His mind began to wander, imagining her tripping and falling flat on her face, then, in a rush to get changed, she'd probably try unsuccessfully to yank down her skirt, before realizing it was still buttoned. And then… and then… he wondered if maybe, beneath the blue plaid skirt was a pair of baby pink panties. And a bra to match…

"Shirogane?... Shirogane? SHIROGANE HELLO ARE YOU THERE?!" Came a loud screech on the other end of the phone, startling Ryou out of his stupor. He cleared his throat loudly, both slightly embarrassed and extremely bewildered that his thoughts had gone down _that_ sort of road. "Just get here as soon as possible, baka." And he hung up.

"Nani? How weird… Hmm, oh well." Ichigo tucked her bag under her arm, making sure to lock up the house before she left. Her parents were still visiting her mother's sister in Osaka and wouldn't be back for another three whole days! So far, it had been less than exciting. In fact, Ichigo had managed to thoroughly spook herself the night before, imagining all sorts of burglars and murderers, and hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Remembering this, she suddenly felt like she weighed a million pounds and was less than eager to make her way back towards the café, for the second time.

"I should've just taken a nap in the dressing room- at least Shirogane can't yell at me in _there_."

Fortunately, the café wasn't too far and it was still light enough out to be blinded by the neon pink exterior of her workplace. Although she had been reminded only earlier that day about the Mew Mew "action briefing," it had completely slipped her mind after leaving the café. Her mother used to say "Ichigo, dear, you'd forget your own head if it wasn't attached!" But you can't be smart all the time… she thought. _Unless you're "Ryou Shirogane," _she murmured sarcastically.

"What about Ryou?" Came a cheerful reply as Ichigo slipped inside the café entrance. Keichirro was busy hanging festive garlands, in celebration of a new promotional dessert they would be serving the next day. He's really taking this seriously… she thought, gazing in awe at the sheer wonderland that was her place of work. While most girls her age would go absolutely gaga over the looks, Ichigo had long since been forced to associate the place with a certain annoying blonde boy and simply could not look forward to coming to work. And then there was this whole being a Mew Mew business…

"Would you like to try a sample of the new cake, Momomiya-san?" Ichigo's features brightened and she followed Keichirro's outstretched hand to a large display with a setting of cake slices, each and every one as delicate and mouth-watering as the next. The truth was, as seriously as Ichigo took her whole crime fighting gig, it was the free desserts that had hooked her from the start. Greedily stuffing her face with cake, though savoring each and every bite, Ichigo padded her way down the stairs and into the basement. There, standing in front of a large electronic chalkboard, Ryou was explaining something he called "synergy" and how it would be beneficial for the Mew team to "cooperate" in their efforts to "extinguish the alien race."

He paused as his clear blue eyes met her chocolate brown ones. He swallowed, a sharp intake of breath catching in his throat. Hmmm? Ichigo stared, surprised by his seeming lack of composure. "Well, look who's come to join us."

The girls turned around and welcomed their friend, Pudding jumping up and down and yelled "YAY SYN-SYN-SYNERGY OH THAT IS WHEN IT'S YOU AND ME!" and Lettuce laughed quietly at the younger girl's antics, while Zakuro sat in the corner thumbing a fashion magazine, her self-proclaimed apprentice gazing on with admiration. Mint broke away from her mentor to shoot Ichigo a derisive look, turning up her nose and claiming that "there's such a thing as _unfashionably late_, Ichigo."

Ichigo stuck out her tongue and took a seat, refusing to let Mint spoil her rapturous dessert.


End file.
